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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #176666
Title: DIFFERENTIAL CYTOKINE MRNA EXPRESSION BY HETEROPHILS ISOLATED FROM CHICKENS THAT VARY IN SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DIVERSE PATHOGENS

Author
item Swaggerty, Christina - Christi
item Kogut, Michael - Mike
item PEVZNER, IGAL - COBB-VANTRESS, INC
item KAISER, PETE - INST FOR ANIMAL HEALTH

Submitted to: Chicken Genomics and Development Workshop
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/8/2005
Publication Date: 5/8/2005
Citation: Swaggerty, C.L., Kogut, M.H., Pevzner, I.Y., Kaiser, P. 2005. Differential cytokine mRNA expression by heterophils isolated from chickens that vary in susceptibility to diverse pathogens [abstract]. Chicken Genomics and Development. p. 44.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: We recently showed increased in vitro heterophil functional efficiency translates to increased in vivo resistance to Salmonella enteritidis and Enterococcus gallinarum infections utilizing parental broiler lines, A and B. Heterophils produce cytokines and modulate acute protection against Salmonella in neonatal poultry. Therefore, we hypothesized heterophils from resistant chickens (line A) produce a differential cytokine response compared to heterophils from susceptible chickens (line B). In this study, heterophils were isolated from chickens 1, 14, and 28 days post-hatch, treated with RPMI (control) or phagocytic agonists for 30 min at 39°C, and cytokine mRNA expression assessed using real-time quantitative RT-PCR. At all time points, heterophils from resistant chickens (A) had higher (p less than or equal to 0.05) pro-inflammatory cytokine (interleukin [IL]-6, IL-8, and IL-18) mRNA expression upon treatment with phagocytic agonists compared to heterophils from susceptible chickens (B). Further, heterophils from resistant chickens had decreased (p less than or equal to 0.05) mRNA expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta4, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, compared to heterophils from susceptible chickens. These data indicate a relationship between cytokine mRNA expression profiles generated by heterophils contributes to immune competence of chickens. Therefore, heterophil functional efficiency, accompanied by evaluating cytokines produced by heterophils, may be useful biomarkers for poultry breeders to consider when developing new immunocompetent lines of birds.